


True Feelings Chocolate

by Dream_edge



Category: Digimon Adventure Zero Two | Digimon Adventure 02
Genre: I finished it eventually, Ken has many feelings, M/M, Secret Admirer, So does Daisuke he's just slower at realizing it, Valentine's Day, but hey, it's no where near Valentine's anymore, soooo
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-16
Updated: 2016-05-16
Packaged: 2018-06-08 20:36:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,223
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6872485
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dream_edge/pseuds/Dream_edge
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Daisuke gets honmei choco from a mysterious admirer. Ken gets weird. For two people so good at reading each other, they're really bad at this feelings thing.</p>
            </blockquote>





	True Feelings Chocolate

The box was small, about the size of Daisuke’s fist, white, and tied off with a gauzy purple ribbon. It was so small, so utterly plain, but Daisuke couldn’t look away. There was a small square of thick cardstock pinned beneath the ribbon. ‘I love you’ was written across it.

Honmei choco. He’d gotten honmei choco.

He’d been expecting giri choco from Hikari and Miyako; already had some cheap chocolate from Jun waiting on his desk for Chibimon to devour. Honmei choco, complete with a love confession, was unexpected. Alright, so, it wasn’t signed or anything but still- honmei choco.

With more care than his team would usually credit him, Daisuke eased the card from underneath the ribbon. He peered at it, thumb playing with one sharp corner. The handwriting wasn’t as steady as he’d first thought. It got shaky at the end, like maybe the writer had gotten embarrassed just writing it.

He lowered the card, eyed the bow sitting innocently on his desk. Thought about opening it.

Daisuke reached for the ribbon to untie it, only to freeze when he saw Takeru and Hikari enter the classroom. He quickly stuffed his hands in his lap, still holding the card, and felt his face turn crimson.

“Good morning, Daisuke!” Hikari greeted cheerfully. He hummed in response, eyes still on his lap. He kept looking at the card, its stark black confession, couldn’t help but run his eyes over it.

A clear plastic bag, full of store bought chocolate was held in front of his face. He looked up to see Hikari smiling at him. She shook the bag a little. “Happy Valentine’s Day! I got you giri choco!”

“Thanks,” he mumbled and took it with his empty hand. Which left him awkwardly holding the bag, hands full and desk dominated by the box. For such a small thing, it took up so much space.

“Are you okay?” Hikari asked. “You’re acting weird.”

“Yeah, fine.” He wasn’t even lying, really. There was a weird, giddy feeling in his stomach, but it wasn’t bad. It felt like he’d drunk some sort of fizzy soda.

Takeru made a curious sound and tapped his knuckles against the desk next to the box. “What’s this?” His smile wasn’t necessarily mean, but it was edging into amused.

Daisuke felt his blush get worse. He couldn’t blame Takeru for being amused; his face must have been ruby by now. “I found it in my locker this morning,” he admitted.

“Really?” Hikari asked, “You got honmei? Who's it from?”

“There’s no name.”

“Oooooh. Secret admirer.” Takeru turned, tried to share a sly look with Hikari. Hikari, however, was staring at the box with a thoughtful little frown. “Hikari?”

“Hm? Oh sorry. I was just thinking.” Hikari smirked. “If Daisuke got honmei, that means he’s one up on you and Iori, right?”

Takeru gapped at her, then mock scowled. “Rude.”

Hikari’s smirk got bigger, then she turned to look at Daisuke. “Any idea who it’s from?”

“No,” he said. All the girls he knew would just come out and say it if they liked him, not dance around it with unsigned confessions on Valentine’s Day.

“You sure? No secret epic affairs you want to tell us about?” Takeru asked.

“No!”

Hikari at least was pretending not to laugh at him. He’d get her the best White Day present he could find. “Hey, wait,” Hikari stopped laughing, eyebrows furrowing. She was looking at his hands, half-hidden under his desk. “What are you holding?”

“…Your chocolate.”

“What are you hiding?” Hikari asked, grin turning sly.

Daisuke’s blush returned in full. “Nothing!”

“I don’t believe you,” Takeru said. He was leaning forward, over the desk, trying to see his hands.

Daisuke immediately shoved the note into his pocket. Then, heart pounding, he grabbed the box and stuffed it into his book bag. Hikari’s gift followed after a second of thought. That done, he crossed his arms over his chest and scowled up at them.

Hikari giggled. “We’re just teasing you.”

“I know,” he grumbled, sinking further down in his chair in embarrassment. His face felt like it was on fire.

Hikari placed a hand on Takeru’s arm. “Come on, let’s leave him be.”

“Fine, fine.” Takeru waved. “See you later.”

Takeru walked away but Hikari paused, looked back at him. “Ah, Daisuke, I still need to give Ken his chocolate. He’s coming to the party tonight, right?”

“Yeah, he’ll be there. He’s coming over to my place first, so we’ll show up together.”

“That’s great, thanks!” Hikari smiled, waved, and headed for her seat.

Daisuke sighed and uncrossed his arms. Hesitantly, he reached into his pocket, ran his thumb against the edge of the card again. He didn’t pull it out again, but the confession remained on his mind for the rest of the day, thoroughly distracting him from class.

****

The first thing Daisuke saw when he entered his room was Chibimon passed out on his bed. Chibimon was surrounded by candy wrappers; the bag of chocolate Daisuke had gotten from Jun that morning sat beside him, now only a quarter full. Daisuke laughed at his mon; pulled his book bag off so he could dig out Hikari’s chocolate. It would make a nice surprise for Chibimon when he eventually awoke.

He pulled the bag out, then froze when he saw the white box. He pulled that out as well. The bag got tossed on the bed for Chibimon to find when he woke up. The box Daisuke carried with him to his desk. He sat it down on his desk, playing with the ribbon. It felt rough against his fingers. He tightened his grip to pull the ribbon off, then released it completely. Frowning, he left the box unopened and collapsed on his bed next to Chibimon.

Daisuke dug into his bed and pulled out the card. It was crinkled in several places now, but the writing was still legible.

“I love you, huh?” Daisuke muttered.

Daisuke wasn’t sure how long he stayed like that, staring almost mindlessly at the card. But he didn’t snap out of his daze until he heard a knock on his door.

“Daisuke?” his mom called. “Your friend’s here!”

“What? Shit!” He threw himself to his feet, looking over at the clock in surprise. Hurriedly, he stuffed the note away. “Coming!”

He threw open his door, found Ken already waiting on the other side. Wormmon was held in his arms. “Ken!” he greeted and pulled the other boy into his room. Ken laughed brightly as he let himself be pulled in.

“Good afternoon, Daisuke,” Ken greeted, “I take it your day went pretty well.”

“Yeah it was, uh, great.” Daisuke faltered, looking at the mess on his bed he hadn’t cleaned up. Usually he didn’t care about the state of his room; Ken knew he wasn’t a very clean person. Things tended to accumulate wherever Daisuke let them fall and Ken had never seemed to be bothered by it. However, candy wrappers on his bed felt like too much. Hurriedly, he grabbed the wrappers Chibimon had left on his bed and threw them in the trash. He turned back to Ken, blushing and laughing nervously. “Sorry.”

“Busy day?” Ken asked politely.

“Eh, something like that,” Daisuke agreed.

Ken set Wormmon down on the bed and Daisuke watched him crawl hurriedly over to Chibimon. “He’s fine,” Daisuke assured when he noticed the worried look Wormmon had, “Just sleeping off a sugar coma.” Wormmon gave him a relieved look and settled in next to Chibimon. Daisuke knew from experience that while Wormmon probably wouldn’t be joining Chibimon in sleep, he’d get close enough that he shouldn’t expect coherency from the mon.

“I suppose Chibimon made out better than all of us,” Ken said, sitting down on the bed as well.

Daisuke didn’t answer immediately, stopped and watched Ken instead. Ken for his part watched their digimon with a fond smile, but still, something wasn’t quite right. Daisuke couldn’t quite pin down what was wrong, but something about Ken seemed… anxious. Yeah, anxious sounded about right. “Hey, everything okay?”

Ken hesitated for a second, eyes still focused on Wormmon, sending alarm bells ringing through Daisuke’s head. “It’s nothing,” Ken said, after that barely noticeable pause that Daisuke couldn’t ignore, and looked up at him. “I suppose I’m just anxious for the party.” Which wasn’t unusual, Daisuke supposed; Ken and big social gatherings didn’t always get along. Only, Daisuke had seen that kind of anxious from Ken. It was a very specific kind of anxious. This? This was a whole other breed. Daisuke was so busy considering the problem, he didn’t notice Ken look past him.

It wasn’t until Ken made a quiet sound, surprise, concern, something in between Daisuke didn’t have a word for, that Daisuke tuned back in. he followed Ken’s eyes and immediately flushed a deep red when he realized Ken was staring at his box. “Oh, I, uh, got that today too.”

“You got honmei chocolate.”

“It’s nothing.”

Ken watched him, eyebrows slowly rising. “It’s bothering you,” he noted. Daisuke almost wanted to laugh at the observation, because of course Ken had realized that. Why had he thought for a second Ken wouldn’t? “I don’t understand. I thought you’d be excited.”

Daisuke sighed and dug out the card again. It was even more crinkled now, which Daisuke almost regretted. His first love confession; probably something he should take better care of. He handed the card to Ken, trying to ignore the rapid beating of his heart. It wasn’t like with the others; Ken wouldn’t tease him about it if he thought Daisuke wasn’t open to being teased. Not that the others would tease him once they realized he wasn’t enjoying it, but Ken wouldn’t have to realize, he’d just know. Ken always knew. Which was why it felt… weird, showing Ken the confession. More important than with the others. More intimate. Daisuke turned away once he had handed it off and went to pick up the box. He leaned against his desk, turned the box over and over in his hands, felt the chocolate shift around inside.

“I still don’t understand,” Ken said. Daisuke looked over at him; Ken was running one thumb over the corner of the card. Daisuke grinned at the shared gesture, another little tick of similarities between them everyone else was always startled by. “Why does it bother you?”

“There’s no name.”

Ken hummed agreement, still rubbing one thumb against the corner. His hair was hiding most of his face so Daisuke couldn’t read his expression. Something about his body language was still not completely right, off in some indefinable way. The combination meant he couldn’t read Ken, which made Daisuke squirm uncomfortably.

“Are you upset because it’s not from Hikari?” Ken asked after a minute of considering the card again.

“Eh, not really.” Daisuke turned the box over in his hands again. Then, huffing, he moved to sit down next to Ken. He collapsed backwards, balancing the box on his chest. “I mean, I guess I was hoping I’d get something from Hikari, but I wasn’t like, holding my breath for it. I’m not even really disappointed about not getting anything. I get it's kind of this impossible hope. Even I know when something’s practically impossible.”

“Are you giving up on something, Daisuke Motomiya?” Ken asked. Daisuke looked up at him, found Ken offering him a grin.

Daisuke grinned back at him weakly. “I guess so. I just… I don’t want to ruin my friendship with her because of some crush, you know?”

Ken stilled briefly. Daisuke watched his grin falter before straightening out, almost frozen in place. Ken looked guilty, he thought, confused. Why did Ken look guilty? “Ken?”

The look was gone in an instant. Ken looked down at him and something soft and gentle entered his eyes. Daisuke didn’t have a word for that look, but warmth spread through his chest and he could feel himself blushing again. “Where did my insensible Daisuke go?” Ken asked, so, so gentle.

Daisuke squirmed, though Ken’s attention was hardly unpleasant. “Ah, it’s nothing.” he grinned up at Ken. “Guess some of your over thinking has finally rubbed off on me.”

Ken laughed, warm and sweet, causing Daisuke’s grin to widen. Ken smiled back for a few seconds before his eyes dropped back to the box. He reached out and ran a finger over the ribbon. “You still haven’t said why it bothers you so much.”

“It doesn’t bother me that much.” Daisuke shrugged as well as he could laying down. “It’s just weird, ya know? Knowing there’s someone out there who really likes me and I have no idea. I mean, I’ve thought about it. No idea who could have put it in my locker.”

Ken was quiet for a long minute, then sighed. “I suppose that would be a little weird,” he muttered.

“So, according to Hikari, I’m beating Takeru and Iori when it comes to chocolate.” Daisuke looked up at Ken and grinned. “But I know you got us all beat.”

He meant it as a joke. He really did. He knew Ken; could imagine without any difficulty how Ken would react to getting honmei choco. He’d blush, stutter the first few times before that smoothed away as the day waned on. And there would be enough chances for him to practice turning them down. Any girl with eyes should be crushing on Ken. Daisuke’s smile slipped away the longer he imagined it; he couldn’t help shifting uncomfortably as images of numerous girls giving Ken chocolate filtered through his brain. It wasn’t like he was jealous of Ken. He’d made peace with the fact that Ken was going to be more popular with girls than him. More than made peace, Daisuke honestly couldn’t understand why anyone wouldn’t like Ken. Ken was awesome, smart and kind and unreasonably pretty. Daisuke sat up, letting the box fall to his lap and trying to at least keep from frowning if he couldn’t force a smile.

Ken blushed, just like Daisuke had imagined, and tucked a bit of hair behind his ear. “I, well, you’re still beating me,” he said shyly, “I turned them all down.”

A bit of the tension in Daisuke’s chest eased. It allowed him to focus outside his head enough to hear Wormmon’s quiet grumble about not getting any chocolate. Daisuke laughed and looked over at the mon, who was watching them with eyes half-closed, pressed close to Chibimon’s side. “Oh no,” he said brightly, “We can’t deprive a digimon of chocolate, right Ken?” Ken made a questioning sound and Daisuke managed to catch his eyes going wide as Daisuke reached for his box. With none of his previous hesitation, Daisuke took the ribbon off and opened the box. The chocolates themselves were wrapped carefully in a clear plastic inside the box, which Daisuke pulled off. There weren’t many, only a handful of lumpy, square-cut chocolates; Daisuke picked one up and held it out to Wormmon.

“Ah, Daisuke, wait,” Ken protested, even as Wormmon gleefully took the small chunk of chocolate. Daisuke looked over at his friend in confusion. “Those are yours,” Ken said weakly.

“Yep. And I’m sharing them.” Daisuke picked up another one and held it out for Ken. Ken hesitated for a second before taking it. He waited until Daisuke bit into his own piece before he ate it though.

Daisuke let the bite melt against his tongue as he considered it. “Little bitter,” he warned Ken, “Good though. Handmade.”

“Well, it is honmei,” Ken muttered. He looked back at Daisuke through his lashes and grinned teasingly. “Does this mean I owe you a White Day gift?”

Daisuke laughed, but he could feel himself blushing again. “Damn right,” he agreed. He watched as Ken grinned down at the last bite of chocolate he’d been given. There was still something too tight about his eyes, not quite as comfortable as he was pretending. “Are you really okay?”

Ken blinked over at him, and grinned uneasily. “Yes, I’m fine. Stop worrying.”

Daisuke did not stop worrying, but he didn’t ask again, because he could tell asking was making it worse.

****

Even if Daisuke didn’t fully believe that it was the party making Ken anxious, he was still worried. Ken didn’t always manage large parties comfortably, even when he knew everyone, even if he went in completely at ease. Ken was far from at ease when they left for the party; they walked side-by-side, shoulders brushing. Ken got tenser and tenser, to where Daisuke could feel it every time they brushed against each other. Chibimon, having flopped on top of Daisuke’s head, seemed ignorant of Ken’s building tension or even Daisuke’s growing worry. He was cheerfully speaking with Wormmon, whom Ken was carrying.

Daisuke looked over at Ken again, eyes constantly drawn because he knew Ken was doing his level-best to hide a freak out instead of doing something reasonable, like telling Daisuke so he could help fix whatever the problem was. Ken’s cheeks were faintly red, though the flush darkened with every step, and he was holding Wormmon to his chest the way he always did when he was looking for comfort. Daisuke frowned, worried, but before he could say anything, Ken’s eyes flickered towards him; not a full head-turn, just a quick little side glance.

Ken froze when their eyes met and Daisuke paused automatically to match. Daisuke didn’t say anything, couldn’t, found all his concerned words dried up under Ken’s eyes. Ken’s eyes were dark, full of something Daisuke couldn’t name, but it made warmth fill every corner of his chest. Ken’s lips parted and his little intake of breath seemed to suck out all the air between them. Daisuke couldn’t breathe; was caught anxiously waiting for Ken to say something.

“Daisuke,” Ken’s voice was quiet. Something in Daisuke’s chest trembled. “I-”

Chibimon dropped down into Daisuke’s eye line, making Daisuke jump. A surge of disappointment flooded him with the broken gaze. “Daisuke, why did we stop?”

He looked back at Ken quickly; found the other boy had turned to face forward again. His hair was covering his face, but the line of his shoulders was tenser than ever. “It’s nothing buddy.” Daisuke tried to smile at Chibimon. “Don’t worry about it.”

Ken started walking again and Daisuke hurried to his side. When he glanced over, he was able to see Ken’s face was bright red beneath his hair. Daisuke cleared his throat, “If you’re really not feeling up to it, we don’t have to go to the party.”

“No, it’s fine,” Ken said hurriedly. It took a minute for Ken to look at him again. “Let’s just go to the party.”

“We can just pop in to say hi, then leave. No one will mind. That’s what’s Jou’s doing, cause of his exams,” Daisuke insisted, because the full view of Ken’s face revealed he’d gotten through anxiety and was edging into panic. Daisuke’s hands clenched, caught with the need to help Ken.

“Daisuke, please,” Ken said, “I want to go the party. I need to get out of my head right now.”

“If you’re sure,” Daisuke agreed slowly and watched relief soften the lines of Ken’s face. They started walking again. After a bit, Daisuke added, “If you change your mind, you just have to say the word.”

“If I change my mind, I doubt I’ll even need to say anything. You’ll already know.” There was something so appreciatively warm and affectionate in Ken’s voice that Daisuke just had to grin stupidly in response.

All of Daisuke’s worries turned out to be for not. When they arrived at the party, Ken, well, he didn’t ease completely, but a weight seemed to fall from his shoulders. Daisuke bit down on the urge to hover worriedly, forced his feet carry them apart. He moved to the table when Sora was still laying out food. She smiled brightly, “Hey there Daisuke. Have a good Valentine’s Day?”

The thought of that plain white box, now lying empty and abandoned on his desk, flashed through his head. The note card, messily bisected by fold lines; Ken’s long fingers running over the edge. Heat flooded Daisuke’s cheeks and he lowered his head to hide it. “It’s good. You?”

“Well, getting chocolate for all of you is always fun,” Sora said. Daisuke glanced back up at her, found her only smiling in warm amusement. Daisuke smiled widely back.

Chibimon shifted from on top of his head and said brightly, “The chocolate’s really all for us though right?”

“That’s right,” Sora agreed, and then Daisuke missed the rest of it.

Ken was laughing.

Daisuke looked over, the knot of worry in his chest further easing, and saw Ken accepting chocolate from Hikari, blushing lightly. Ken tucked a familiar plastic bag of store chocolate into his pocket. Ken seemed thoroughly taken out of his head, probably the most relaxed Daisuke had seen today.

Daisuke turned back to Sora, feeling loose and giddy. Sora looked back at him with eyebrows raised; when Daisuke made a questioning sound, she laughed a little. “Come on, you can help me and Iori bring out dinner.” She clapped a hand against his shoulder and began to lead him to the kitchen. She leaned in to whisper to the Chibimon, “And if one of us manages to sneak a few bites during, well…”

Chibimon squirmed eagerly on top of his head and Daisuke couldn’t help but laugh.

Daisuke helped the two tow all the food necessary to feed the whole team of Chosen and digimon from the kitchen to the table. Sometime after the ten gallons of soda, Daisuke came out to find Ken had relocated to the table. He was watching the others move around him with a warm smile; Wormmon was hiding under his chair and Chibimon immediately jumped down from Daisuke’s head so he could join Wormmon.

Daisuke put his current bundle on the hot plate nearest Ken; took in the loose line of his shoulders, the tiny slump of his posture that meant he was relaxed. Daisuke didn’t say anything but Ken still huffed at him. “See? I told you I’d be good.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Daisuke grinned at him. “Right as always, Ichijouji.”

Ken laughed, gave him a haughty look over the rim of his glass. “Of course I am, Motomiya. Don’t know why you’re so surprised.”

Daisuke clapped him on the shoulder, grinning wide enough to hurt. “I gotta get back to helping with the food,” Daisuke said, “You keep an eye on those two. Don’t let them eat all the food.”

“As you wish.”

The next time Daisuke emerged from the kitchen, Miyako was speaking with Ken. She paused when she saw him and the grin on her face was pure evil. It was times like this that made Daisuke wish he had a functioning fear response; it might have made him do something reasonable, like about face back into the kitchen. Instead he kept walking with barely a stutter. “Evening Miyako.”

“Oh, I know,” She said brightly, without pause for something simple like context or explanation. 

“Know… what?” Daisuke asked. He shared a look with Ken, who only mirrored his utter bafflement. 

Before Miyako could answer, and she was obviously dying to, even Daisuke could see that, Sora’s sharp whistle cut through the house. “Dinner!”

The flock of hungry Digimon that swarmed the table precluded any conversation. Daisuke hurriedly slid into the seat next to Ken before he could get caught in the press of bodies trying to organize themselves. He saw Ken carefully left his feet so the Digimon could scramble easily around under his chair; Chibimon immediately jumped into his lap with an imploring look. “Yes, yes, you’re going to eat. Knock it off with the puppy eyes,” Daisuke said without a hint of annoyance. “I know Ken’s been sneaking you snacks. Don’t think I don’t,” he added with complete confidence, because Ken was a sweetheart who could never resist the eyes. The look Ken gave him in response was unrepentant. 

Everyone had just managed to settle when Miyako leaned back over the table to continue talking to him. “You got honmei~!” She sang, smirking widely. The whole table turned to look at him. Okay, not the whole table, but it felt like the whole table. Face beginning to burn, Daisuke sank down into his chair.

“How did you hear about that?” Daisuke asked, aware it sounded like a whine. Then, before Miyako could answer, he turned to glare at Hikari. “Hikari!”

Hikari shrugged without a hint of guilt.

“Wait, wait,” Taichi said, “You got honmei? Why didn’t you tell me?”

“It’s nothing important,” Daisuke muttered. He was trying not to squirm. Ken sighed, barely audible, and shifted his chair over until their shoulders pressed together. Daisuke glanced over at him, found his face a mask of serenity. Daisuke breathed deep, straightened, tried to absorb some of Ken’s calm.

“So, who was the lucky girl?” Taichi asked.

“No idea.”

“Eh, really?”

“That’s the best part,” Takeru said for him, “It was anonymous.” 

Daisuke looked over to see Takeru grinning widely. He scowled, “I thought you were done teasing me.”

“Sorry.” 

“No, you’re not.”

“Nah.”

Hikari, face thoughtful and devoid of teasing, said, “It’s weird, though isn’t it? There being no name.”

“What do you mean?” Daisuke asked. Next to him, Ken stilled to watch her, though he’d previously been ignoring the conversation. Daisuke glanced over at him briefly when he felt Ken withdraw from the small contact they had.

“Well, to go through all that trouble- making the chocolate, getting it into your locker, not getting caught. And then not signing it. It’s just, a little weird, right?”

Daisuke hadn’t really considered that before. How much work work would be involved in getting the chocolate to him; it suddenly seemed an immensely daunting process. “I… guess, yeah.”

“I suppose they really wanted you to have it,” Ken said. Daisuke snapped around to look at him, stunned, because Ken’s voice was all wrong. He was trying too hard to sound casual suddenly; Ken sat with picture-perfect posture, every line of him built from tension. Daisuke gaped at him, feeling spun about by the swift mood change. 

“Or maybe they really didn’t want to get caught,” Hikari said. She was staring steadily over at Ken, eyebrows raised. Daisuke didn’t understand that look at all but he could see the way Ken’s hands froze. Ken stared back at Hikari, so Daisuke could do little but look between them and shift uncomfortably. He felt caught in the battle of wills and the only thing he felt sure of was how uncomfortable Ken was. 

“Could we talk about something else?” The words were out before Daisuke had even thought it through. Ken started, his focus on Hikari broken, and looked over at him. He looked guilty again and panic was hiding in the corner of his eyes, the tight line of his lips. A flush was building in his cheeks. Daisuke frowned back at him, confused, sailing right past concern. 

“Eh? I thought you wouldn’t have been able to shut up about it,” Taichi said, snapping Daisuke’s attention briefly away from Ken.

Daisuke scowled over at Taichi. “It’s weird,” he said shortly. He could see from the corner of his eye that Ken was now refusing to look up from his plate. He was once again hiding behind his hair. 

“Really?”

“Oh, ignore him, Daisuke, “ Yamato said, smirking across at Taichi, “Considering his luck romantically, he’s going to have to live vicariously through someone.”

“Hey!”

Daisuke waited until everyone’s attention diverted to Taichi. Then h turned to face Ken and asked in a whisper, “What just happened?”

Ken just shook his head. “It’s nothing.”

“Liar.”

Ken sighed and gave up the pretense of playing with his food. He then pressed against his shoulder again. Daisuke watched his muscles relax one by one, drawing strength from the contact like Daisuke had. “I’m tired,” he admitted. 

“Do you want to go home?”

“No, I just- maybe after dinner.” Ken pressed further against Daisuke, until the whole length of their arms touched. Daisuke wanted to wrap an arm around him, tuck him close where nothing could hurt him. But that would only draw attention to Ken; Ken would just feel worse if he worried everyone else, would refuse the comfort so the others wouldn’t worry.

Daisuke instead curled his fingers around Ken’s wrist, squeezed, and let go. Wished he could convince Ken to tell him what was wrong, but they were in the completely wrong place for that kind of conversation. So he turned away, kept Ken only in the corner of his eye. Ken only spoke up when he was directly addressed; otherwise, he acted normal, but Daisuke could tell it was an act. Whatever was bouncing around Ken’s head, Ken wasn’t as easily distracted from it as before. 

Daisuke wasn’t surprised when Ken kept pressed close to his side after dinner. After a few minutes, he sighed heavily and turned to face Daisuke. Daisuke took him in with a glance and said, before Ken could open his mouth, “Yeah, we can go.”

Ken paused, then huffed, half-amused. “See, didn’t even need to say a word.” 

Daisuke grinned at him widely. “Right as always, Ichijouji. Let me go say goodbye, then we can go.”

“You know you don't have to come with me, right?” Ken asked, biting his lip. “I’m just going to the train station; I can make the walk myself. You should stay and enjoy the rest of the party.”

Daisuke huffed and settled both his hands on Ken’s shoulders. “Don’t be stupid. I’ll walk you to the train station.”

“Oh, but-”

“Ken.” Daisuke leaned in, smiled bright. “Don’t worry about it. This is what I want to do.”

Daisuke watched a bright flush take over Ken’s face; Ken’s eyes slid to the ground as he muttered, “I-if you’re sure.”

“I’m sure. I’ll be back in a few.” 

Daisuke quickly vanished back into the crowd of chosen, stopping everyone he saw to say goodbye. Daisuke ended up with several hugs and the bags of chocolate he hadn’t yet received. Taichi grinned widely, clapped a hand on Daisuke’s shoulder. “You and me are going to have a talk about the chocolate later.” 

Daisuke agreed half-heartedly, already mentally preparing for the teasing he was definitely going to get later. He had barely left Taichi’s grasp when Hikari caught him gently by the elbow. She was frowning, eyes dark. “Hey, listen,” she said in a quiet whisper, “Can you apologize to Ken for me? I’m sorry for scaring him off at dinner.”

Daisuke blinked at her, “Can’t you tell him yourself?”

“I think right now I’d just make him uncomfortable.” Hikari grimaced, guilt swimming in her tight expression.

“Yeah, sure I-,” Daisuke glanced over at Ken briefly, automatically, then paused,“I’ll do that.” He agreed distractedly, attention caught by the sudden slump of Ken’s shoulders by the door. Daisuke could see him talking to Wormmon, eyes still downcast. He muttered a quick goodbye and hurried over to Ken.

“You were right,” he overheard Ken say, “I should have left well enough alone.”

There was a moment’s pause before Wormmon asked, “Do you regret it?”

“No,” Ken laughed, but only in the shaking of his shoulders. The sound that escaped him didn’t sound much like a laugh at all. “You know, even when I think he’s not looking, he’s looking.”

Daisuke practically leapt the last few steps to Ken’s side, eager to break him from whatever thoughts caused a sound like that. “Ready to go?”

“Yes.”

When they stepped outside, Daisuke shivered with the rising cold. He looked over at Ken, who always ran colder than him, and watched him curl further around Wormmon. A flush began to gather quickly in Ken’s face from the cold, and Daisuke watched it build in fascination. 

They walked mostly in silence, left the conversation to their mon. Daisuke tried to focus on what they were saying, but he couldn’t focus. Ken’s cheeks were burned bright red with cold and Daisuke couldn’t look away. Ken had to know he was staring but he wasn’t acknowledged.

By the time they made it to the train station, Daisuke’s chest was full of an odd tension. Ken turned to look at him finally. “Thank you for walking me.”

“No problem,” he said, “Are you going to tell me what’s wrong yet?” The words burst out, finally beyond his control, and Daisuke winced a little. He’d just been biting down on the words all night and couldn’t keep them in anymore. “And don’t tell me you’re fine again again. You’re not.”

Ken just sighed with an expectant little grimace, like he’d been expecting the outburst for as long as Daisuke had been biting it back. Daisuke watched him retreat, begin to curl into himself. “Daisuke.”

Daisuke’s chest hurt, tight with something he couldn’t name. He sighed, stepped back a little to give Ken room to breathe. “You don’t… if you really don’t want to tell me,” he eventually said, “You don’t have to. Just- just, please, don’t lie when you’re clearly not alright.”

Ken’s eyes softened, went dark and sweet under the soft light. “Thank you, Daisuke,” he said, in a voice so gentle, it ached. 

Daisuke shuffled awkwardly in place, aware of heat spreading into his cheeks and unable to stop it. “I just want to help, you know?”

“I know.” Ken hesitated, then stepped in closer, sealing the space between them again. “I don’t think this something you can help with.”

Worry squeezed all the air from his lungs. “But-”

“Daisuke,” Ken cut him off, “It’s nothing anyone can help with. I just need a little time. It’s- it’s nothing even really that important, or-or, big. I just started thinking, and then I got caught in my own head, and then,” Ken’s voice choked a little, went tight, “I tangled myself into knots.”

Daisuke couldn’t do that voice. He couldn’t. So, he stepped forward again and pulled Ken into a hug. Ken sighed and leaned into the hug as much as he could with his arms full of Wormmon. They stood there for several minutes, Daisuke counting breaths and memorizing the warmth of Ken’s skin, the pressure of Ken against him. How the muscles under his hands slowly eased, one by one.

Then, Wormmon called, in an apologetic tone, “Motomiya-kun, please.”

Daisuke yanked back with an embarrassed sound immediately, grinning down at the mon he’d been unintentionally squishing. “Sorry, sorry,” he apologized. He very gently rubbed between Wormmon’s antennas, causing Wormmon’s eyes to flutter shut in pleasure.

“It’s okay,” Wormmon said brightly, “It was a nice hug.”

“It was,” Ken agreed in a soft voice. Daisuke looked up, found himself blushing under the warm weight of Ken’s eyes.

Atop his head, Chibimon giggled and suddenly flung himself from his perch. He landed on Ken’s head without regard for the startled yelps either boy made. “Me too!” he said brightly, then belly-flopped so he fully crowned Ken’s head. “Hug!”

Ken laughing caused Daisuke to bite back an apology; he was left just watching as Ken freed one hand and scratched between Chibimon’s ears. The tension in his chest eased, replaced with an odd, bubbling warmth that made him squirm. He felt like he was going to burst.

“I’ve got to go,” Ken said after a minute. 

Daisuke picked Chibimon up despite his protests, gave Wormmon one more affectionate rub, then attempted to stare at Ken with as much seriousness as he could muster. “I’m just a call away,” he promised.

“I know,” Ken said. Ken smiled, gentle and sweet as always, but softer, quieter than usual; something small and precious just for Daisuke. “Thank you Daisuke.”

“Goodnight, Ken,” Daisuke said, past the swelling fondness in his throat. Ken returned the goodbye and Daisuke watched him walk to the station steps. At the top, Ken paused and turned to look at him again.

“Daisuke,” Ken called, and this far Daisuke could just make out the purple glimmer of Ken’s eyes. He was doing something weird with his face Daisuke couldn’t quite name; it was a mess of things: warmth and guilt and affection and anxiety.

Silence stretched between while Daisuke waited for him to continue. But nothing came. Finally, Ken let out a heavy breath, not quite a sigh, and when he looked at Daisuke again, his face was beat red and full of something like disappointment. “Happy Valentines Day, Daisuke,” he said.

Daisuke returned the sentiment with his own surge of disappointment, though he couldn’t say why he was disappointed. He watched Ken disappear into the station with unknown expectations wilting bitter on his tongue. After a minute of standing there, Chibimon squirmed and looked up at him. “That was weirder than normal, right?”

“Yeah, Chibimon. It really was.” Daisuke began the long walk home, thoughts full of Ken and that drawn out silence.

****

“Stop,” Taichi ordered. Daisuke slowed to a stop obediently, putting his hands on his knees and breathing heavily. Sweat dripped down the back of his neck, despite the lingering chill of February. Daisuke looked back up at Taichi, found him pinning the soccer ball still under his foot. Taichi was watching him, eyebrows scrunched together, lips pursed. “You okay, Daisuke?”

Daisuke took a deep breath, then straightened. “Yeah, yeah. I’m good.”

“You sure? You’ve been distracted since we started.”

“I’m sure. Let’s keep going.” Taichi kept watching him, shifting the soccer ball about with his foot. Suddenly a grin split his face. “This about Valentines?”

Daisuke bit back a groan, letting his head fall back again. Two weeks and some people still couldn’t let him getting honmei go. Every time he saw Taichi now, he spent a ridiculous amount of time enduring teasing. “That’s not it,” he said firmly, hoping to stop teasing before it could start. Unfortunately, it came out a lot sharper than he’d meant.

Taichi stopped messing with the soccer ball, let it roll off to the wayside. One eyebrow slowly rose. Daisuke shifted uncomfortably under the attention. “I’m sorry,” he mumbled, “That didn’t come out like I wanted.”

“Does it bother you that much?”

“No, I… I’ve had other things on my mind lately.” 

There was a moment’s pause from Taichi that made Daisuke’s heart ache for Ken’s absence. He wished, suddenly and firmly, for Ken and his easy, immediate understanding.

“What’s going on?”

“Ken’s been weird lately.” And Daisuke was trying his hardest not to pry where he wasn’t wanted, to walk that line between giving Ken his privacy and letting Ken know he was always ready to listen. But it was difficult trying to give Ken that space which he knew his friend was in turmoil.

“He ok?” Taichi asked, face full of open concern.

Daisuke could only shrug. “He’s been weird since Valentine’s, but he won’t tell me what's wrong.”

Taichi watched him silently for another second before his expression eased into something almost playful. “Started on Valentine’s? Maybe he was hoping for chocolate from someone special and didn’t get it.”

Daisuke wanted to demand what exactly was with Taichi’s current obsession with Valentine’s . Except before he can, that image popped back into his head; Ken blushing and stuttering, tucking and untucking his hair behind his ear because he always did that when he was nervous. The faceless girls with their boxes of chocolate. How very careful Ken’s hands would be as he accepted them. It was in his head, sudden and fully-formed, between heartbeats. It wasn’t until Taichi started practically giggling at him that Daisuke realized he was glaring at the ground, bitterness an odd taste along his tongue.

“Jees, Daisuke, I was just joking. No need for that look,” Taichi said, words still hiccupping around amusement. His expression softened after a minute. “There’s no need for you to be jealous. You know that right?”

“I’m not jealous,” he muttered, then realized he sounded petulant. Sighing, he tried again, “I’m not jealous of Ken. I get he’s always going to be more popular than me. Which is great, because he’s kind of amazing.”

“That- that’s- ...okay,” Taichi sighed, shook his head. He looked caught somewhere between amused and exasperated. “You are hopeless.”

Daisuke blinked. “Eh? Why? What did I say?”

“It’s nothing, Daisuke.” Taichi nodded his head towards where the ball had rolled. “What do you say to another round?”

“Sure,” Daisuke agreed, but his thoughts were a thousand miles away. If it had been hard to focus before, it was an impossibility now. Daisuke kind of shuffled after Taichi , making only the vaguest attempts to take back the ball.

Daisuke slowed to a stop, heard Taichi follow with a sound of confusion. “Do you,” Daisuke asked, “Do you really think that’s it? With Ken, I mean.”

Taichi sighed. “I don’t know, Daisuke. I said it to lighten the mood, distract you a little. Honestly, if Ken likes anybody, you figure it out way before I would.”

“Think so?” Daisuke asked, a bit lighter than before.

“Oh, yeah. You’re the one that can read his mind.”

“No, I really can’t.”

“So you two keep insisting.”

“Shut up,” Daisuke ordered, but he was grinning. Before Taichi could continue, Daisuke dashed forward and stole the ball. “Keep up, Yagami!”

His brain was still spinning, trying to piece together the mystery, because Taichi was right. Daisuke knew Ken better than anyone; if he just kept thinking about it, surely he could figure it out. Then he might be able to help Ken.

The weirdness had started on Valentine’s Day, of that Daisuke was sure. It was, after all, a very specific kind of weirdness, easily distinguishable from Ken’s social anxiety or the hesitance that came from thinking himself into circles. Maybe Taichi was right about Ken not getting chocolate; except, surely, if Ken had a crush on someone, he’d tell Daisuke. Daisuke had unloaded plenty onto Ken when he’d had a crush on Hikari. Ken had to know he could do the same.

But it was Ken, so maybe, no, he actually didn’t know.

“Idiot,” he muttered to himself. Taichi stole the ball during his distraction. “Hey!”

He wished he could talk it out with someone else; Ken was the one he went to when he was having issues, but that wasn’t currently an option. The others hadn’t noticed anything, or, well, at least Takeru and Iori hadn’t; he’d asked and they’d claimed Ken was acting normal. If they hadn’t noticed anything, Daisuke couldn’t think of who else would have. Daisuke didn’t think Ken was being that subtle about his current distress; but then, when it came to Ken, Daisuke’s obvious tended to be a lot of people’s subtle, so it was usually hard to say. 

But this time, surely it was obvious. Ken was quiet now, almost constantly red, way more formal than he usually was. Even when trying to hide it, the rest of the team had learned to recognize when Ken was hiding something.

So, Daisuke thought, if the others hadn’t noticed anything weird, then maybe he’s not acting weird around them. It’s only me.

Was it because Ken trusted him more, or because Daisuke was the reason he was acting weird?

Daisuke remembered, suddenly, Ken standing on the station steps, lips parted with words that trembled against his tongue and never made it out; Ken on the sidewalk, so close to admitting something, the tension of it all stealing Daisuke’s breathe.

Ken and Hikari, dancing around a verbal stand-off, Ken’s eyes like steel. “I suppose they really wanted you to have it.”

Oh.

Oh.

Daisuke stumbled to a dead stop, collapsed onto his back. He stared up at the sky and tried to breathe through all the feelings suddenly jammed into his chest. Taichi appeared overhead, face a mask of concern. “Daisuke?”

“Do you think Ken likes me?”

Taichi frowned, confused, opened his mouth to say something,then paused. Finally, he sighed and sat down next to Daisuke. “I don’t know Ken well enough to say for sure. But, what I do know of him, I can’t say it would surprise me.”

Daisuke watched the sky, wished for names for the feelings pouncing in his chest. “I think the chocolates I got were from Ken.”

Taichi sputtered disbelief. “You- you have got- He lives in Tamachi! He- he would have had to get all the way across the river, get it into your locker- without getting seen-, then got back in time for his own classes!”

“It’s Ken,” Daisuke said, calm and certain in the knowledge that Ken could do anything. There was a pleasant warmth building in his chest, and he was on his feet before he’d realized it. He ran for his bag, feeling light, ready to fly.

“Dai-Daisuke!” Taichi tried to scramble to his feet. “Where are you going?”

“Tamachi! I need to talk to Ken!”

“Shouldn’t you wait a little? Think about this for a bit? Or a second, at the least?”

Daisuke paused long enough to turn and shrug his shoulders. There was a giddy smile on his face that he couldn’t control. “When do I ever think about anything?”

****

The train ride to Tamachi was an hour long. Daisuke tried to use the time to think, he really did, but it was hard to focus past the warmth bubbling in his chest. His thoughts kept slipping away from him, spinning in circles around the same thought.

Ken had given him honmei choco. 

Daisuke laughed to himself, almost giggling, giddiness swelling to the point of bursting. By the time the train pulled into Tamachi, Daisuke was bouncing in his seat and hadn’t thought much past the knowledge that Ken had been the one to give him honmei.

He tore out of the station as quickly as he could, tripping over his own feet more than once in his rush. By the time he arrived at Ken’s apartment, he was panting harder than he had been when playing soccer; there was a stitch in his side that was screaming at him quite loudly. He had to pause by the door so he could brace a hand on the wall and gulp in breathes desperately. He was still breathing heavily when he managed to straighten and knock.

Ken opened the door.

Daisuke watched his eyes widen in recognition. Watched a smile start to build. Watched Ken’s whole being brighten from within. Remembered, with utter clarity, the card with its stark black confession. Oh, Daisuke thought, how have I been missing that? He and Ken had never needed words, rarely needed more than a glance, and yet he’d missed this. He’d missed this for longer than he could pinpoint.

Ken’s eyes flickered between his for barely more than a minute. Then his smile slid away and that inner brightness disappeared. Dismay, something that was almost fear, darkened the corners of his face. “Oh,” he breathed, “You know.”

Daisuke stepped forward once. “Can I come in?” he asked, “We need to talk.”

Ken let him enter without a word. Daisuke began walking the familiar path to Ken’s bedroom, aware of Ken’s eyes on him, the three huge steps Ken was consciously maintaining between them. He paused briefly to greet Ken’s parents, suddenly conscious that he was still in his clothes for soccer, was sticky with sweat, and probably a little grass stained. Then he hurriedly slid into the safety of Ken’s room.

Ken hesitated in the doorway, shoulders stiff with tension. “Wormmon,” he called eventually, “Can you leave us for a minute?”

Wormmon looked up from his place on Ken’s bed, blue eyes wide with concern. Those eyes darted quickly between the two of them and Daisuke had to wonder for long the mon had known. “Are you sure?” Wormmon asked. When Ken nodded, Wormmon moved to leave the room as slowly as possible, still watching the two of them unsurely.

Once Wormmon was gone, Ken closed the door. He didn’t move from his place in front of it, hand on the door handle, like he might need a quick escape. “Who told you?” he asked quietly. Ken wasn’t looking at him, was watching the floor instead.

“No one. I figured it out myself.”

“Really?” An odd smile slipped across Ken’s face. “Well, suppose you were going to figure it out eventually.”

Daisuke hesitated, because Ken’s tone was not encouraging and it was tying a knot in his chest where the giddiness used to be. “You gave me honmei,” he said after a minute, even though it was completely unnecessary at this point. 

Ken practically flinched before he sighed and nodded. “Yeah. I knew it was a stupid idea.”

Daisuke sputtered, unable to put into words the immediate, fierce denial that filled every part of him at those words. But Ken wasn’t looking at him, couldn’t see the thick emotions that clogged his throat, and by the time Daisuke unknotted the twist in his throat, Ken was talking again. “I’m sorry,” he said, “I’m so sorry.”

“What are you apologizing for?”

“I, for--” Ken paused, waved a hand through the air in something between frustration and defeat. He moved, finally, walked over to his bed, where he sat down heavily and slid a hand over his face. “For this whole mess,” He said after a second. He still wasn’t looking at Daisuke. “I tried, ok. I tried to… keep this from… affecting--” Ken’s voice went tight and broken, then he finally just stopped.

Daisuke watched him bow further, now totally hiding behind his hands. “Ken?” he called, in as quiet and gentle a voice as he could manage. He walked over until he could kneel just in front of Ken. “Ken, look at me, please?”

It took a minute, then Ken’s hands fell away. It took another minute for Ken to lift his head enough to meet his eyes. Daisuke waited patiently, though the minutes felt huge. He waited while Ken examined him, until the some of the tension fell from his shoulders. “I’m not angry,” he said, still as gentle as he could be. He looked at Ken, took in the shadows easing around his eyes, some of the fear disappearing with every breath. “How long?”

“I don’t know,” Ken said, with a tiny shrug, “I didn’t realize at first. It feels like forever.”

“I missed it,” Daisuke said. It felt a little like a failure.

“I know.”

“I’m sorry,” he said, because it felt a lot like failure.

Ken shook his head. “No, I-” he paused, closed his eyes. “I wanted to tell you,” he said after a second, like the words had burst out of him. “But… you’re my best friend, and I didn’t want to… ruin that.”

“Ken-”

“I wanted to tell you so badly. So, I-”

“You made me honmei,” Daisuke said with quiet realization, “so I wouldn’t know it was you.”

“I shouldn’t have. It made things worse. I just, I wanted to tell you even more.”

“The train station.” Daisuke remembered. 

“Every minute we were together,” Ken said. After a second, Ken dropped his gaze to his hands; Daisuke felt his stomach drop as well. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have. It was a mistake.”

“No,” Daisuke said, more forcibly than he’d meant to. 

Ken’s shoulders jumped and his eyes snapped briefly upward in surprise; though he wasn’t crying yet, his eyes were wet. Daisuke cupped Ken’s face between his hands immediately. “Hey, no, shhh. It’s okay,” he whispered fervently, desperately. He hated when Ken cried, felt weak and useless and like he was never a big enough comfort. His chest twisted to the point of pain. “Please, shhh, I just-” I just want you to be happy.

Ken shook his head, but it was slight enough that it didn’t dislodge Daisuke’s hands. “It’s fine. I knew- from the beginning, I knew… you didn’t…I just need a minute.”

No, but I...Daisuke laughed a little, quiet, mostly to himself, as realization swept through him. It felt like sunlight. “I’m an idiot, you know?” he said, voice soft.

“Daisuke.”

“I am.” He leaned in and up, like he was going to share a secret. Ken’s eyes got very wide; his breath caught noticeably. “Do you know I spent most of Valentine’s jealous? And I didn’t realize, the thing I was jealous of, was all those girls who’d get to give you chocolate.”

“Daisuke, what-?”

“Shhh,” he whispered, leaning further in. Ken remained frozen, not moving back, barely twitching at all. Daisuke was aware of Ken examining him, eyes darting all across his face. He was breathing too fast. “I was so happy when I figured out you were the one who gave me the chocolate. And I didn’t realize why. Not at all.”

“Can I kiss you?” Ken asked suddenly, in a rush, words all mashed together.

“Yes.”

Daisuke barely got the word out before Ken leaned in, bridged that last few inches between them. Ken’s lips were dry and warm, a little off center. Daisuke slid his hands into Ken’s hair and shifted his weight so he could tilt himself better into the kiss. After a moment, Ken’s hands pressed against his shoulders, pushing himself up. 

Ken stared down at him, eyes wide, mouth still partially open. Daisuke felt breathless; he couldn’t look away. “I, I read that right, right?”

“Yeah,” Daisuke managed. “Yeah, I really, really like you.”

“Because I’ve thought before,” Ken said. He pulled back more, hands moving to press against his face, framing his eyes. “That I saw, from you, just flashes, that maybe you felt. But then it would be gone. I thought I was just projecting.”

“No. I’m just an idiot who has no idea. You’re always more perceptive than me.”

“I just think too much,” Ken said.

Daisuke laughed a little, still feeling breathless. He leaned in to kiss Ken again. “You’re amazing.” 

When he pulled away, Ken was starting to smile. It kept growing, until it was huge and bright. Ken pushed himself straight, cleared his throat. “So, right, um.” Ken’s face went red, just a little. “I love you.”

“Me too,” Daisuke said.

Daisuke didn’t think he’d ever seen Ken’s eyes look so bright. Ken tugged at him, urging him up. “Come on, get off the floor.” he urged. Daisuke stood as requested, then shuffled over so he could sit next to Ken.

“Now what?” he asked.

“I have no idea.” Ken leaned against his shoulder. “I never really thought about this part, about what could come after.”

“Then, we figure it out together.”

“Like we always do,” Ken agreed.

“Yeah.” Daisuke was quiet for a few minutes, then said, voice a little concerned, “Ken, hey, Ken.”

“Yeah?”

“I don’t know what to get you for White Day,” Daisuke admitted in a small voice. Ken started to laugh, the sound hiccuping through his whole body. Ken’s weight dropped fully against him in his amusement. “Ken,” Daisuke whined, “I’m serious. It’s only like two weeks away,”

Ken looked up at him, eyes bright as fireworks. “You’ll think of something,” Ken said with assurance, “You always do.”

Daisuke huffed without a hint of true aggravation, leaning down to kiss Ken again.

**Author's Note:**

> Shout out to the wonderful person on Tumblr who encouraged me to finish this.


End file.
